Praful Hinge had written it down before it happened. Sometime last year, a note to himself: whenever he plays his first IPL match, he will take four or five wickets.
On Tuesday night at Uppal, he took four — three of them in his first over, the first time that has been done in IPL history. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Dhruv Jurel, and Lhuan-dre Pretorius fell before the over was done. Rajasthan Royals were 1 for 3.
“I did think about it,” Hinge said after the match. “I don’t know about others, but I do believe.”
The Sooryavanshi wicket was premeditated. “I had already told a couple of people that I would get him out on the very first ball, either with a bouncer or in some way. I just wanted his wicket on the first ball. That was the plan.”
A true match-winner’s mindset 🫡
🗣️ Praful Hinge on his spectacular #TATAIPL debut ✨
Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/xGTDdKbXpY#KhelBindaas | #SRHvRR | @SunRisers pic.twitter.com/8Bon31A3WQ
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 13, 2026
Sooryavanshi, the fifteen-year-old who had been taking on Bumrah and Archer all tournament, was gone first ball — top edge, caught. “The best one was the first wicket,” Hinge said, “because he was in form.”
Hinge started playing cricket at thirteen, not knowing what leather-ball cricket was. “I told my father I wanted to join a club. He refused a couple of times, saying I was too young. But somehow, things started from there. After that, I just kept playing.”
Between then and Tuesday night, there were injuries. A stint at the MRF Pace Foundation where he spent months unable to bowl. “Everything is fine now. I want to thank MRF for taking really good care of me. Naveen sir, the physio, looked after me very well.” He credited SRH bowling coach Varun Aaron for the preparation that went into the debut.
“Standing at this stage, it feels really good,” he said. “I want to dedicate this award to my family. They’ve made a lot of sacrifices for me. Their hard work and sacrifices mean everything.”
A boy who didn’t know what a leather ball was at thirteen. A note written last year promising himself four or five wickets on debut. An IPL record that may not be broken for a long time.
He believed. He was right.
